March 16, 2001 I n s i d e

Volume 31 Number 6

News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Breaking the Ice ...........3

Special Events Calendar . . . . . . 2 Ocean Envoys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Reward and Recognition . . . . . . .2 Letters, Retirees, Classifieds . . 4

J e t P r o p u l s i o n L a b o r a t o r y

time period.
“We have asked the Associate Director to create a substantial reserve
in the Allocated Direct budget to cover our utility costs this year, because

Lab warms we feel the most critical time for energy costs is going to be over the next
six months,” Fischer said. “When fall comes, we feel there will be more
stable rates.”

up to So while the Lab can’t control what it pays for energy, it can have a big
say in how much energy it uses.
Vaji Nasoordeen, manager of the Facilities Maintenance and Operations

energy Section, said in 28 buildings, chillers—air conditioning units that provide

chilled water for building cooling—are being shut down early—about
3:30 p.m.—with minimal, if any, adverse impact to employees in those

crisis buildings. “We’re also trying to identify buildings that can shut down
chillers as early as 3 o’clock,” he said.
An energy-saving measure under consideration for the summer months
concerns alternate shifts for some workers in energy-intensive buildings—
Conservation including 144, 150, 170, 248, 277 and 301. Instead of a traditional work-
day staff would work a swing or graveyard shift, saving energy usage during
efforts help T HANKS TO CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN PLACE THROUGHOUT THE LABORATORY, peak usage times, which are from noon to 6 p.m. in the summer. Electricity

hold down
consumption
By Mark Whalen
Vaji Nasoordeen, manager
of the Facilities Maintenance
and Operations Section,
says turning off chillers in
28 JPL buildings early in the
day has helped significantly
in the Lab’s effort to conserve
energy.
JPL IS FARING RELATIVELY WELL DURING THE STATE’S CURRENT ENERGY CRISIS. costs are dramatically higher in the summer due to the demand for air
conditioning throughout Southern California.
Electrical consumption, based on kilowatt-hours, has decreased steadi-
ly in the past few months. Between early November and the end of Janu-
Also helping the cause is that all JPL staff have been asked to turn off
lights, computers and peripheral equipment when not in use. In addition,
ary, the Lab’s consumption fell almost 1 million kilowatt-hours, or about
many office buildings have sensors that shut off lights automatically when
10 percent. “Our initial review indicates that we’ve reduced the demand
motion is not detected in a particular area. “Facilities is looking to repro-
measurably from our normal demand at this time of year,” said Facilities
gram some special-projects money to install additional occupancy sen-
Division Manager Bruce Fischer.
sors before the summer,” Fischer said.
The energy savings, however, don’t translate into dollar savings. Al-
The Lab is also enforcing the policy calling for heating at 68 degrees,
though electrical consumption at the Lab is at its lowest point in several
cooling at 78 degrees. “By maintaining this, we can do a lot to manage
winters, the cost of energy has risen considerably since the onset of the
the air conditioning demand,” Fischer said.
energy crisis. The Lab’s bill for January to power provider Edison stood at
In addition, JPL is looking into buying its power from different sources,
about $450,000, higher than at any time in the past three years.
but no decision has been made as yet.
In the current deregulated energy market, “There no such thing as cost
For the last several years, JPL has purchased natural gas from the
savings, because we’ll be paying a lot more this year—and probably next
Defense Energy Support Center in Virginia, Fischer said. “They could also
year—for the energy that we buy,” Fischer said. “What we are looking for
in our conservation efforts is avoiding even higher bills.” Part of the
provide us with electricity; in fact, we looked at buying electricity from
them a year ago, but there wasn’t enough of a savings for us to justify
reason for the price hike is a recent decision by the California Public
leaving Edison as a supplier.
Utilities Commission to raise costs by 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for the
“We have put together a set of metrics to show our current consumption
90-day period that began on Jan. 6.
and demand, and compare those to previous periods to show the progress
In the case of natural gas, prices have skyrocketed since last fall, most
we’ve made. Employees can visit the Facilities Web page (http://jpl-facili -
dramatically for the November–December period. The Lab paid about
ties/660/index.htm) to access the data,” Fischer said. “We will look at all
$75,000 for gas in November, but more than $170,000 for December.
alternatives to find a stable source of power for the Laboratory, for what
Still, JPL did its part by lowering consumption by 6.6 percent over that
we consider as reasonable a cost as we can get.”

s O L A R S Y S T E M

A mathematical model of the surface of Venus

Math model could show how the hot, dry surface has reacted
to changes in temperature throughout the plan-

cracks the et’s history.Patterns of cracks were found on

Venus’ 500-degree surface by JPL’s Magellan
spacecraft in the early 1990s. Using an analysis

cause of Venus technique by Pierre Moreels, a French intern at

climate change
By Martha Heil
Dr. Sue Smrekar and intern
Pierre Moreels have shown how
Venus’ hot, dry surface has
reacted to temperature changes.
JPL, the patterns proved to be roughly hexago-
nal. This kind of cracking pattern shows that the
surface has heated and cooled by almost 200
degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) over
long periods of time.
Moreels adopted a modeling technique that
was originally developed for medical imaging to
discern individual blood cells, ensuring an accu-
rate count. The technique is called the water-
shed transformation and has
also been used in Earth-ob-
serving satellite images of
fields.
“The program uses an analo-
gy to the Earth’s watershed
process to filter out the noise
from the radar imaging system
on Magellan,” Moreels said. “It
finds the regions in the surface
covered with patterns of multi-
sided shapes. The more of
these areas of multi-sided shapes we find, the
better we can understand the history of climactic
change on Venus.”
Moreels and his mentor, Dr. Sue Smrekar, a
research scientist in JPL’s Geophysics and
Planetary Geology section, reported their results
March 12 at the Lunar and Planetary Science
Conference in Houston.
Photo at left is an actual image of Venus from the Magellan mission. The image at right is a mathematical model
that filters out recurring radar noise by mapping the cracks into a graph simulating a field of mountains.
The Magellan spacecraft took pictures of sides of different lengths and cover an area
large areas of fissures, analogous to cooling more than 100 square kilometers (39 square
basalt fractures on Earth, but on a much larger miles).
scale. The mathematical program filters out Slow heating and cooling globally could have
recurring radar noise by mapping the cracks formed large areas of cracks on Venus’ surface.
into a graph simulating a field of mountains— A major episode of resurfacing occurred on
the rougher the surface, the higher the peak. Venus roughly 700 million years ago, in which
The program fills in the valleys of the simulated water and sulfur levels in the atmosphere rose.
landscape, much as rain fills in a lake. This Mapping the size and distribution of the cracks
way, small peaks of radar noise are covered will help determine whether they are the result
over, and only the dramatic changes in the of local or global heating. Other models, in
surface’s roughness remain. which volcanoes heat the surface or flows
The program then evens out the edges and erupt on the surface and cool, have difficulties
connects them. The result is a map of the sur- in explaining the size of these polygons.
face cracks that can easily sort out the number More information on the Magellan mission is
and orientation of the cracks and the area available online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
between them. The shapes generally have six magellan.
2
Siegel elected IEEE Fellow
DR. PETER SIEGEL, supervisor of
the Submillimeter-Wave Advanced
Technology Group, Section 386, has
been elected a Fellow of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engi-
neers (IEEE) for his contributions to
the field of millimeter and submillime-
Sp e c i a l E vents C a l e n d a r
missions managed by JPL, including
Small Explorer (SMEX), Medium-Class
Explorers (MIDEX), Discovery, and
Earth Space Science Pathfinder
(ESSP). This policy has been adopted
by SESPD. Ongoing Support Groups Wednesday, March 21
The advisory group’s meeting re- Alcoholics Anonymous—Meeting “To Test or Not to Test: The Compre-
sults are available online at http:// at 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, hensive Test Ban Treaty”—Theoretical

Ne w s ter-wave radiometry, technology, and

spaceborne instruments.
Siegel and his group are contribut-
ing to the Earth Observing System
sespd-lib. Go to “Work Area,” then the
SESPD Science Advisory Group folder.
Recent additions to the site—in the
Thursdays (women only) and Fridays.
Call Occupational Health Services at
ext. 4-3319.
physics professor Dr. Sidney Drell will
speak at 8 p.m. in Caltech’s Beckman
Auditorium. Free admission. For
“What’s New” folder—highlight pro- information, call (626) 395-4652.

B r i efs Microwave Limb Sounder, an instru-

ment slated to be launched on the
EOS Aura satellite in 2003; the Mi-
grams that bring students and post-
doctoral fellows to JPL, a white paper
providing guidelines for the generation
Codependents Anonymous—Meeting
at noon every Wednesday. Call Occu-
pational Health Services at ext.
4-3319.
Thursday, March 22

crowave Instrument for the Rosetta
Orbiter, for a European Space Agency
comet exploration mission; and the
NASA heterodyne spectrometer instru-
ment for ESA’s Herschel/Planck astro-
physics mission, which will be used
for a variety of studies including
studies of galactic structures and
galactic life cycles.
Siegel joined JPL in 1987. The
number of IEEE Fellows elected in
a year is no more than one-tenth of
1 percent of the total IEEE voting
membership of more than 10,000.
Science Advisory Group seeks input
The Space and Earth Science
Programs Directorate’s (SESPD)
Science Advisory Group, which pro-
vides advice to the directorate on
research-related issues, advocates for
JPL research and researchers, and
compiles and distributes information
of general interest to the research
community, seeks comments or sug-
gestions from the Lab’s science com-
munity.
The group is chaired by Space
Infrared Telescope Facility Project
Scientist DR. MICHAEL WERNER.
Among the group’s achievements, he
said, is the formulation of a policy
recommending that JPL scientists
have a substantial role in all small
Bonus Recently, 25 JPL employees were
named as Level A Bonus Award
recipients. Level A recognizes Lab-
of press releases based on research
results, and instructions for apply for
SESPD Bid and Proposal and JPL
Technical Infrastructure Funds.
The group’s folder includes a mem-
bership list. Input may be provided to
the group through your division repre-
sentative or directly to Werner.
The group’s next meeting is sched-
uled for June 5.
Signups underway for summer camp
Registration is now underway for
the JPL/Caltech Child Educational
Center’s summer camp, “Exploring
Our Natural World.”
Offered for children from 5 through
12 years of age, the camp will be held
from June 25 through Aug. 24 at three
locations: the CEC site in La Cañada,
next to La Cañada High School; Par-
adise Canyon Elementary School in La
Cañada; and the CEC site in Pasade-
na, near Caltech.
Families may apply for the full sum-
mer or for weekly sessions; however,
enrollment is limited at each location,
so it is important to call early to
ensure placement.
The camp will feature daily activi-
ties, long-term projects, field trips and
science exploration.
For information, call the CEC at
ext. 4-3418.
February:
Section 197: Richard Roessler,
Mary Wong.
End of Life Issues and Bereavement—
Meets the second Monday of the
month at noon in Building 111-117.
Call the JPL Employee Assistance
Program at 4-3680.
Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Support
Group—Meets the first and third
Fridays of the month at noon in
Building 111-117. Call the Employee
Assistance Program at ext. 4-3680 or
Randy Herrera at ext. 3-0664.
Parent Support Group—Meets the
third Thursday of the month at noon
in Building 167-111. Call Greg Hickey
at ext. 4-0776.
Senior Caregivers Support Group—
Meets the the first Tuesday of the
month in Building 167-111. For
information, call the Employee Assis -
tance Program at ext. 4-3680.
Friday, March 16
Folk Music—Country-folk singer Katy
Moffat will appear at 8 p.m. in Cal-
tech’s Dabney Lounge. Tickets are $12
for adults, $4 for children under 12.
Call (626) 395-4652.
“Positioning Women For Intrapreneur-
ship In Non-Traditional Roles”—Cristi
Cristich, president and chief executive
officer of Cristek Interconnects, a
manufacturer of cutting-edge electron-
ic connectors used in smart weapons,
space applications and biomedical
devices, will speak at noon in von
Kármán Auditorium. Sponsored by the
Caltech Architectural Tour—The
Caltech Women’s Club presents this
free service, which is open to the
public. The tour begins at 11 a.m. and
lasts about 1 1/2 hours. Meet at the
Athenaeum front hall, 551 S. Hill St.
Call Susan Lee at (626) 395-6327.
JPL Stories—Rosaly Lopes, research
scientist and member of the Galileo
Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
team, will speak at 4 p.m. in the
customer services area of the Library,
Building 111-104. If you have ques-
tions about the JPL Story series,
call Teresa Bailey at ext. 4-9233.
Von Kármán Lecture Series—Dr.
Duane Bindschadler, Galileo’s science
planning and operations manager, will
discuss the mission’s latest results at
7 p.m. in von Kármán Auditorium.
Open to the public.
Friday, March 23
JPL 2001 Lecture Series—Dr. Ed
Smith, senior research scientist in the
Earth and Space Sciences Division,
will discuss “The Heliosphere: Ulysses
Observations at the Ongoing Solar
Maximum” at 11 a.m. in von Kármán
Auditorium.
Von Kármán Lecture Series—Dr.
Duane Bindschadler, Galileo’s science
planning and operations manager, will
discuss the mission’s latest results at
7 p.m. in The Forum at Pasadena City
College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. Open
to the public.

awards wide accomplishments that impact

JPL as a whole and achieve one of
JPL’s significant goals or objectives;
enhance JPL’s reputation; or ad-
vance a field of knowledge.
The $3,500 awards were bestowed
for accomplishments that occurred
since October 1999. The three-tiered
Bonus Award Program was designed
to incent and reward accomplish-
ments and behaviors that will ensure
future success of the Laboratory:
reward outstanding individuals who
contribute to achieving JPL’s goals
and objectives; and increase JPL
competitive advantage through
strategic pay practices that differen-
tiate high performance.
For more information on the
program, log on to http://eis.jpl.nasa.
gov/hr/compensation/bonusawards.
html.
The Bonus Award winners for
Section 212: James Prikosovits.
Section 224: Stephen Canell.
Section 260: Jean Walker.
Section 264: Thomas May.
Section 311: Henry Harris.
Section 313: Guy Beutelschies,
Curt Henry.
Element 3231: Dr. Michael Werner.
Section 334: Simon Yueh.
Section 335: Richard Gross,
Jeffrey Srinivasan.
Section 341: W.K. Reinholtz.
Section 346: Subbarao Surampudi.
Section 351: Wilbur Marner.
Section 352: Donald Moore.
Section 353: James Polk.
Section 383: Jeffrey Oseas.
Section 440: James Graf.
Section 450: William Irace.
Section 506: Burton Sigal.
Section 760: Thomas Livermore.
Section 770: Said Kak.
Section 775: Ronald Zenone.
Director’s Advisory Council for Women
in celebration of Women’s History
Month.
Travel Film—Slovenia and Croatia:
From the Alps to the Sea will be
presented at 8 p.m. in Caltech’s
Beckman Auditorium. Tickets are $9
and $7. Call (626) 395-4652.
Tuesday, March 20
JPL Hiking+ Club—Meeting at noon in
Building 303-209.
Using Your Home Computer To Do JPL
Work—Dr. Laif Swanson, manager of
the ICIS Planning & Liaison Office,
will discuss how to fill out your time-
card, read and send e-mail, and
access JPL information from home,
including how to get a JPL remote
access account, configure your home
computer and get the software you
need. Held at noon in von Kármán
Auditorium. Web slides will be avail-
Wednesday, March 28
JPL Toastmasters Club—Meeting at
5:30 p.m. in the Building 167 confer-
ence room. Guests welcome. Call Jim
Raney at ext. 4-6301.
Women’s History
Month Luncheon—
To be held at noon
at Brookside Country
Club in Pasadena.
Author Dava Sobel
(right) will discuss
her best-selling book
Galileo’s Daughter,
which chronicles the life of the
astronomer by examining his
relationship with his eldest
daughter. Tickets are $16; seats are
limited. For more information, log
on to http://ood-lib.jpl.nasa.gov/
ood-lib/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-191/
Women.doc. Sponsored by the
Director’s Advisory Council for Women
in celebration of Women’s History

NOVA The following employees received

JPL’s Notable Organizational Value
Added (NOVA) awards in January:
The following employees received
NOVAs in February:
Section 314: Ning Liu, Ray Morris,
able from the “ICIS Noontime Talks &
Events” link in the “News & Events”
section of the ICIS home page at
Month.

awards Section 330: Mae Hawk.

Section 387: Henry Conley,
Dennis Page, Carol Polanskey,
Sonserey Rubia, Steven Scott,
http://icis.jpl.nasa.gov. Thursday, March 29

JPL Golf Club—Meeting at noon in

Charles Davis, Arsham Dingizian,
John Genofsky, Eric Hochberg,
Gregory Lievense, Scott Nolte,
David Randall, Lee Wigglesworth.
Service The following JPL employees were
recently honored for 20 or more
years of service:
awards 40 years: Herbert Blackhall,
Michael Carney, James Conel,
Kathleen Myers.
35 years: Olen Adams, Ralph
Bartera, Thomas Duxbury, William
Kloezeman, M.L. MacMedan.
30 years: James Alexander,
Margery Fea, Raymond Frauenholz,
Donna Hoffman, Laura Hollis,
William Irace, Gerhard Klose, Paul
Koskela, Barry Levitt, Francis
Mathur, Sharon Pasos, Elena Pes-
tano, David Quinn, Moktar Salama.
25 years: Sandra Bedrossian,
Richard Benson, Jeffery Cornish,
Recaredo Torres, Vicken Voskanian, Building 306-302.
Randii Wessen.
Section 368: Carol Scott.
Antarctica continued from page 3
changing. By measuring the extent and velocity of the moving ice and
Michael Girard, Charles Greenhall,
Ming-Taun Leu, Eleanor Manning,
Merle McKenzie, Ronald Schlaifer,
estimating its thickness, we can estimate how much ice may be lost into
the ocean from Earth’s largest storehouse of freshwater. “These calcula-
Joseph Toczylowski, Donald Yeomans.
20 years: James Border, Margaret
tions are important for understanding Antarctica’s contribution to the
present rate of sea-level rise of about two millimeters, or the thickness
Borzage, Robert Brooks, Lamont
Burgess, Kumar Chandra, Stephen of a dime, a year.”
Dawson, David Diner, Richard Doyle, Mission scientists are now developing velocity maps showing the direc-
Mark Gatti, Susan Gilbert-Hagood,
tion and speed of the ice. They have already created the first-ever com-
Johanna Gunn, Charles Keith, Gail
Klein, Jack Mallory, Jacob Matijevic, plete velocity maps of the spectacular Lambert Glacier, a sinuous ice
Iain McDermid, Ronald Morillo, stream more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) long, which reaches speeds
Patrick Murphy, David Nichols, Hope of more than one kilometer (about two-thirds mile) a year once the ice
Norton, Hassan K.P. Shankar, Alfred
Pappano, Thomas Runge, Jennifer spreads onto the Amery Ice Shelf.
Schlickbernd, Linda Scott, Roy They are also beginning to create a new map of Antarctica to compare
Scrivner, George Shultz, Steven with the one made in 1997. The process of turning the radar images into
Wells.
map-quality mosaics will take about a year to complete.
 3
e A R T H

B REAKINGthe
Eight hundred kilometers
from the south pole, where
the summer temperatures
dipped to minus 25 Celsius
ICEBy Gia Scafidi

and the Sun beamed 24 hours a day, JPL’s

Dr. Alberto Behar and his field colleagues
captured the first-ever still and video images
deep within Antarctic ice streams.

T H E A N TA R C T I C I C E B O R E H O L E P R O B E M I S S I O N ,
a collaborative effort of JPL and Caltech, supported by NASA and the National
Science Foundation, looked at the dynamics and stability of the West Antarctic
ice sheet and served as a stepping stone in the development of technology
capable of withstanding extreme ice and liquid environments.
The Antarctic ice sheet, the size of the United States and Mexico combined,
holds a potential gold mine of information related to the geological history
of Antarctica and the mechanisms by which ice flows from this area to the
oceans. Studies show that significant changes in glacier melting and flow
rates could considerably impact sea levels and global warming.
“One way to study the dynamics of the West Antarctic ice sheet is to study
the fast-moving ice streams and understand their dynamics,” explained Behar,
JPL’s chief engineer on the glaciological investigation. “What sets their speeds,
causes them to flow, makes them stop? It’s not very well understood yet.” He
explained that ice streams are essentially like glaciers within the ice sheet.
The three-month investigation took place at Ice Stream C, an area where
150 years ago the ice suddenly stopped flowing, and attention has been drawn
to one area in the middle of the stream. This “sticky spot,” moving at a rate of
0.02 centimeters (0.008 inches) per day, greatly differs from its neighboring
streams, which flow at approximately one meter per day.
Sharing three eight-hour shifts every day, the 11 researchers utilized the ice
probe, equipped with lights and two cameras. By way of hot-water jet drilling
and reaming, the team made 17-centimeter-wide (6.7-inch) holes in the ice,
each hole taking approximately 36 to 48 hours to make. The probe was then
lowered more than 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) deep into the water-filled holes
via a fiber-optic cable. The team had to finish measurement sequences within
four to five hours or the middle of the deep hole would refreeze to a diameter
smaller than the probe, causing great problems retrieving the instruments.
By means of snowmobiles, the science team members traveled between
their campsite and four different drill sites. They found that the further south
they drilled the faster the stream flowed.
“The investigation was a drama unto itself,” said Behar. “We were exploring
areas never seen before and finding things out never before known in a place
that keeps its secrets very tightly.”
Over the course of the investigation, the researchers observed what ap-
peared to be a basal water system, or series of water channels under the ice
sheet. It’s believed that these channels aid in the flow of ice streams. The
team calculated that, if these channels existed, the depth of the water basal
cavity would be in the millimeter range. On the contrary, at the third drill site,
the probe plunged through an “astounding” 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) of water at
the base of the stream.
To the researchers’ surprise, the study also revealed debris embedded in the
ice much higher from the base of the ice stream than expected. Researchers
thought they’d find debris no higher than two meters (six feet) off the base. In
fact, the visual data showed debris at 26 meters (85 feet) off the base, which
Behar said could not yet be explained. The probe’s visual images also uncov-
ered a layering effect in the ice, thought to be previously melted and frozen
horizons.
“The layered information will turn out to be very interesting,” said Dr.
Frank Carsey, JPL’s principal investigator on the project. “These layers could
serve as a calendar or a unit of deformation.” Ice sheets move slower than
ice streams, explained Carsey, the top moving somewhat faster than the
bottom.
All of the team’s findings open up the doors to further glaciological re-
search. “As Hermann Engelhardt [Caltech’s principal investigator on the
project] put it ‘With the probe, we’ve now left the dark ages,’” said Behar.
“This project fits into the bigger picture of planetary ice studies,” noted Above left: Dr. Alberto
Carsey. “It provides us with some understanding of what goes on deep in
Behar operates Caltech’s
ice caps—Earth’s ice caps, Martian ice caps and ice caps on Jupiter’s
moon Europa.” hot water drill set. The
“If we are going to spend $500 million on a space mission to the Mars equipment and tent in
polar cap or to Europa, we really have to be as certain as possible that the
backghround are set on
hardware and system will work as planned,” said Dr. Arthur Lane, JPL’s
co-investigator on the project. “These glaciological environments provide us sleds and can be moved
with most of that stressful envelope that allows us to be far more certain we to different locations by
can make the system work properly.”
JPL hopes to advance the probe’s technology in the next year or two, tractor or snowmobile.
adding sensors capable of detecting biology in the Antarctic ice sheet, and Above: A drill hose being
eventually on other planets. It’s known that microbes live under glaciers,
deployed into a freshly
where it’s warmer and there are nutrients from impurities found between
water crystals. drilled bore hole.
“These locations are very old places, some are hundreds of millions of
years old,” said Carsey. “The base of an ice sheet in a planetary program is
a matter of history and biology.”
Until the next challenge, Behar is grateful to have been part of such a
successful team effort. “It has been an incredible experience, considering the
number of people it takes to pull off one of these projects,” he said. “It was
challenging, but it was also a great feeling to see a project bear fruit in the
field. To see different projects come together and bring back eye-opening data
was wonderful.”

Antarctica may appear to be a land frozen in time, but it
certainly is not still. Glaciers plow down the continent’s center
JPL studies to the sea, icebergs snap off and crash into the ocean, and great
rivers of ice snake through the ice sheet, evidence of a dynamic
show relationship between this remote continent and global climate.
gives scientists a way to see how the continent has changed
over the past three years as well as a wealth of new information
on the movement of the most active region,the outer half of the
ice sheet.
For the new mission, the Canadian Space Agency’s RADARSAT-

Antarctica A joint NASA and Canadian Space Agency mission now pro-
vides a more comprehensive view of how the Antarctic ice sheet
1 satellite trained its imaging radar on the outer half of the
continent twice during each of three consecutive 24-day periods,

isn’t sitting moves and changes, and may help answer some fundamental
questions about this mysterious place at the end of the world,
ending last Nov. 14.
Precise navigation and data from the six passes make it

still including whether the ice sheet is advancing or retreating.

The initial mapping campaign, the 1997 Antarctic Mapping
Mission, resulted in the first high-resolution radar satellite map
By Rosemary Sullivant of the continent. The second phase, the Modified Antarctic
Mapping Mission, completed last November, once again charted
Antarctica with space-based imaging radar. This second mission
possible to create detailed topographic maps and to measure
the speed of the moving glaciers. “Most of the Antarctic ice
sheet moves imperceptibly slowly but nevertheless surely,” said
science team member Dr. Frank Carsey of JPL. “This mission
gives us an overall snapshot of how the ice moves and how it is
continued on page 2
4 Classrooms have now become larger thanks the word about the cool things that NASA and conversation and sharing. We are always look-
to the Internet. JPL is providing online work- JPL are doing, said Tom Nolan, who works in ing for new ways to transcend learning barri-
shops for educators involved in the Ocean educational outreach for the TOPEX/Poseidon ers. We can make an environment where

Ocean Envoys Program. With a click and scroll, inter-

ested participants can meet, visit seminars
Project.
College of Exploration is a nonprofit educa-
people feel like they belong.”
JPL also worked with College of Exploration

Envoys like they would at a conference and have a

one-on-one conversation with keynote speak-
tional organization that designs courses for
students of all ages with different kinds of
on the Project Ocean Steward Online Expedi-
tion and Teacher Workshop. National Geo-

take ers.
The Ocean Envoys Program consists of
computer capabilities.
College of Exploration’s program is global
graphic conducted the project with support
from JPL and the National Oceanic and Atmos-

education volunteer educators who give presentations on

JPL oceanography to classrooms, museums,
and addresses people from several different
countries. That way people can participate
pheric Administration Sea Grant program.
“This is the most convenient online confer-

online national parks, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, ser-

vice organizations, ham radio operators and
other groups. The three-part educational pro-
By Gabrielle gram started in Februar y. JPL and its partner
Birchak-Birkman in the venture, College of Exploration, will
present the two following series in April and
August. “These volunteers really help spread
when it is convenient for them. It’s customer
driven,” said Nolan.
Peter Tuddenham, the college’s executive
director, explained that the virtual campus is
not just a message board where academia and
students meet. “We like to focus on community
building,” he said. “Learning comes from good
ence program I have used,” said Nolan. “I
would like to invite the rest of the Lab to try
College of Exploration for their outreach and
training activities.”
Those interested in taking part in the Ocean
Envoys online workshop can contact Annie
Richardson at JPL via e-mail.

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previous issues of
Universe online
h t t p:/ / u n i v e r s e . j p l . n a s a . g o v
Editor
Mark Whalen
Design & Layout
Adriane Jach
Audrey Riethle/
Design Services
Chief Photographer
Bob Brown/Photo Lab
Universe is published
every other Friday by the
Office of Communications
and Education of the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory,
4800 Oak Grove Drive,
Pasadena, CA 91109.
For change of address,
contact your section office
(on-Lab personnel) or
Xerox Business Services at
(626) 844-4102 (for JPL
retirees and others).
Le t t e r s
I would like to express my warmest
thanks to my friends and co-workers
for your sympathy and support at the
pas-sing of my grandmother. Also,
thanks to ERC for the very beautiful
plant.
Dee Darrow
We would like to thank our JPL
friends for their support and kind
thoughts following the sudden passing
of Pete’s dad. It has meant so much to
know friends and family are standing
right behind our shoulders, ensuring
our ability to move forward. Thanks
also to the ERC for sending a lovely
potted plant to remind us of his life
and love.
Pam and Pete Distaso
I would like to thank everyone at
JPL and Acro who supported and
prayed and gave a hug during the
illness of my father, Benny De La O.
Our family greatly appreciated your
donations, helping us where needed at
the time of his death. Thank you also
to the ERC for the beautiful plant sent
in his memory.
Roberta Davis and family
I would like to thank my friends and
colleagues for their compassion and
support over the death of my father,
Samuel Laidig. My family and I espe-
cially thank both the ICIS and 501
organizations for their donations to
the Pasadena Sister Cities Student
Exchange Scholarship Fund and the
University of California, Berkeley
Alumni Scholarship Fund in his honor.
Your generosity is deeply appreciated
and your kindness a great comfort.
Thanks also to the ERC for the beauti-
ful spathiphyllum.
Vicki Laidig
CLAY POTS, round, large (2-ft and 3-ft diam-
eter), each 2" $50/obo, each 3" $60/obo.
626/398-3480.
COFFEE, top of the line 100% pure sun-
dried Kona, hand picked from top-qual.
trees, 100% rich, dark roast, ltd supply, dis-
counted 45% at intro price of $21/lb.
626/584-9632.
CRIB, Child Craft, converts to bed w/side
dresser, 2 large drawers under bed, includes
mattress, exc. condition, $250. 957-3130.
DESK/CHAIR, antique mahogany, rolltop,
$1,500; TABLES, 2 custom rod iron indoor/
outdoor, w/heavy glass top, $2,500. 248-
8853.
DRAFTING MACHINES, Bruning, model
4000, 31” arm, $75; model 2700, 24” arm,
$55; good condition, work well. 249-1112.
FERTILITY TESTS, Clear Plan Easy fertility
test sticks, brand new sealed box of 30,
expires 5/2002, paid $55, sell for $40.
714/903-8888.
FURNITURE: oak ent. center, $150; sofa and
matching chair, $300; sofa table, $50; oak
dining table w/6 chairs, $150; and oak
dining hutch, $200, all in exc. condition.
248-7097.
GOLF BALLS, used, $.25/ball or donation,
money goes to pet rescue organization.
626/792-8272.
LAMPS, 3 big antique wagon wheel hubs,
approx 14" tall; light comes through vertical
slats for spokes; 2 are old, weathered; one
is hand carved; $50 ea. La Verne: 909/593-
4046; vivdavies@starquest.net.
LAWN MOWER, reel type, 2.75 HP chain dri-
ve, front throw, $75/obo. 626/963-1364.
MISC: sectional couch, beige, almost new,
$300; coffee table, $75; 4 stacked tables,
$200; bar cart, $150; child’s bike, toys, etc.,
best offer. 248-8853.
REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER, Hotpoint model
CSX20EF, side-by-side, 19.6 cu. ft., icemak-
er, very good cond., $151. 957-3675.
SKI BOOTS, Salomon SX-71, men's size 11,
worn only a few times, in original box,
$22/obo. 236-4869, eve.
SOFA, brown, velvet, 7 ft., good condition,
$175. 626/793-8783.
SOFA/LOVESEAT, brown, exc. cond., $200;
CHAIR, swivel, brown, exc. cond., $75.
661/254-7443.
STAMP ALBUMS, Scotts series, U.S. com-
memoratives, 2 vol. binder, singles & blocks
of 4; Scotts The National stamps, 25 vol.,
binder; Scotts ’90 std. stamp catalogue, 4
vol.; Scotts Minuteman U.S. 2 vol. binder; 2
Scotts green binders, new cond.; stamp stock
sheets (90) by Vario, made in Germany, new;
Scotts border blank sheets (60) for albums,
new, 3 x 20; all for $200. 249-1112.
TABLE, coffee, octagonal, beveled glass top
with matching end tables, 3 pieces/$150.
661/254-7443.
TABLE, dinette, square glass top, 5'x5' w/
tags and smog, $600/obo. 661/285-9159.
’72 DATSUN 240Z, w/Chevrolet 350, V8, auto-
matic trans., roll bar, 70K, fun car, needs
tuning, $2,000/obo. 323/341-4739,
jwall@oxy.edu.
’94 DODGE Stealth R/T, white, all pwr., exc.
cond., 72,600 mi., $11,000. 505/496-5101.
EQUIPMENT TRAILER, Miller Tiltbed, compl.
refurbished, new tires, deck, electrical,
brakes, 21,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight,
$3,500/obo. 626/798-6249.
’97 FORD Escort LX, auto, air, exc. cond.,
76K miles, $5,500/obo. 626/351-9880.
’97 FORD Explorer XLT, only 27,000 miles,
exec. cond., new tires, all dealer servicing,
$16,000. 626/355-5631, after 5 p.m.
’96 FORD SVT Cobra Mustang, conv., 5
speed, all black, leather interior, stereo w/CD
changer, security alarm w/LoJack, clean,
well-maintained, exc. cond., no modifications
to body or engine, garage kept w/cover, less
than 27K miles, $21,000/obo. 626/379-1540.
’91 FORD Ranger XLT, long bed w/shell, V6, 5
spd., gd. cond., AM/FM/cass, $3,000/obo.
626/296-9073.
’91 FORD T-Bird, V8, 32,000 original miles,
interior and exterior in exc. cond., new tires
and brakes, a must see and drive. 951-3467.
’95 HONDA Civic DX, red, 2 dr., 5 speed,
103,000 miles, $10,000/obo. 362-3358.
’94 HONDA Accord EX wagon, green, 5 spd.,
a/c, pwr. windows, doors, sunroof, etc.
VTEC engine, 76K miles, $9,500. 626/564-
1471, Babar.
’87 HONDA Civic, 2-door hatchback; ’83
HONDA Accord, 2-door LX, hatchback, both
running, good basic transp. 626/403-0446.
’89 MERCURY Sable, 95K miles, light blue,
good cond., 3.8L, V6, power everything,
$1,800/obo. 909/902-5664.
’91 MITSUBISHI Eclipse GLX, red/black, 5
spd., turbo, AWD, am/fm/cass., prem. sound,
pwr. windows/doors, new clutch, runs great,
1 owner, needs new antenna, 112K mi.,
$3,000. 626/798-8065.
’95 PONTIAC Firebird, blue/green, T-tops,
leather, alloy rims, all power, 135,000 miles,
$7,300. 505/496-5101.
’79 TERRY Trailer, sleeps 6, refrigerator/
stove, electric/butane powered, good cond.,
$1,000/obo. 626/797-6406.
’89 TOYOTA Supra, turbo, V6, 5 speed, 120K
miles, new clutch/brakes, sport roof, a/c, p/s,
p/w, p/dl, alarm, tilt wheel, cruise, am/fm/CD,
ABS, gd. cond., $4,400/obo. 626/449-2007.
’79 VOLVO, brick red, new tires, eng. in great
shape, 198K mi., $1,000/obo. 626/791-5376.
Wanted
CRIB and other baby accessories. 626/462-
9427, Irina or Dmitr y, Irina_Strekalova@
hotmail.com.
HOST FAMILY, for a French 16 y/o male high-
on Hill Avenue with large yard, five minutes
from downtown Pasadena, pets negotiable,
clean credit and references required, $1,500.
909/941-8159, Scott.
PASADENA apt., 1 bd., 1 ba., furnished close
to PCC/Caltech, $825. 626/351-9641.
PASADENA apt., 2 bd., 1.5 ba., townhome
style, laundry parking, fully furnished,
$1,150. 626/351-9641.
W. TOLUCA LAKE, charming cottage for 1 or
2 people, enormous bd. w/vaulted ceiling
opens into garden; stove, ref., washer, dryer,
dish-washer, disposal, enclosed garage; util.
incl.; easy fwy. access; cat(s) OK; $1,650.
980-1638, hkline2@msn.com.
Real Estate
NORTH GLENDALE house, 4 bd., 2.5 ba., in
prime Emerald Isle area, 5 mi. from JPL,
attractive front view, spacious back yard,
master bd. suite, formal living and dining ar-
eas, comfortable family room with wet bar,
exc. cond., $568,000. 244-3060.
SUNLAND/TUJUNGA, why pay twice the price
for half the house? 15 minutes to JPL, never
any smog, seldom even fog at the 1,650-foot
elevation of this 3-bd., 2-ba., 2,900 sq. ft.
home with loads of extras on a 10,000 sq. ft.
level lot, details at http://www.its.caltech.
edu/~sharonb/, $349,000. 352-7321.
Vacation Rentals
BIG BEAR cabin, quiet wooded area near vil-
lage, close to snow play areas, 2 bd., sleeps
8, completely furnished, f/p, TV/VCP,
$75/night. 249-8515.
BIG BEAR LAKEFRONT lux. townhome, 2
decks, tennis, pool/spa, nr. skiing, beaut.
master bdrm. suite, sleeps 6. 949/786-6548.
CAMBRIA, ocean front house, sleeps up to 4,
excellent view. 248-8853.
HAWAII, Kona, on 166 feet of ocean front on
Keauhou Bay, priv.house and guest house
comfortably sleep 6, 3 bd., 2 ba., rustic,
relaxing and beautiful, swimming, snorkeling,
fishing, spectacular views, near restaurants,
golf courses and other attractions. 626/584-
9632.
HAWAII, Maui condo, NW coast on beach
w/ocean view, 25 ft. fr. surf, 1 bd. w/loft,
compl. furn., phone, color TV, VCR, mcrowv.,
d/w, pool, priv. lanai, slps. 4, 4/15-12/14
$105/nt./ 2, 12/15-4/14 $120/nt./2, $10/nt.
add’l person. 949/348-8047.
LAKE ARROWHEAD house, small 4 bd., 2 1/2
ba., sleeps 10, quiet, secluded, relaxing,
snowy, woodsy area of Cedar Glen http://
www.highcountryrents.com/cedar_run.html
for pictures/rates, JPLers who book directly
with owner for 2 weekends get 1 + cleaning
fees. $370/weekend. 626/403-0446, owner.
MAMMOTH, Chamonix condo, at lifts 7, 8, 16,
17, walk to Warming Hut, 2 bd., 2 full ba.,
sleeps 6, fully equipd elec. kit., incl. micro-
wave & extras, f/p and wood, color TV, VCR,

Notice to Advertisers
Advertising is available
for JPL and Caltech em-
ployees, contractors and
retirees and their fami-
lies. No more than two
ads of up to 60 word s
each will be published for
each advertiser. Items
may be combined within
one submission.
R etirees
The following employees retired in
March:
Nathan Burow, 39 years, Section
330; Theodore Moyer, 38 years,
Section 312; Jurrie van der Woude, 37
years, Section 181; Richard Messer-
smith, 34 years, Section 341; Kerry
Nock, 31 years, Section 380; Robert
Galletly, 18 years, Section 352.
metal feet and 4 matching chairs, $800/obo;
BAR STOOLS, 4 matching, metal frame, all
in superb cond., $400/obo. 626/398-3480.
TRICYCLE, girl's, fully assembled, exc.
cond., w/basket, used for 2 months, $20;
EXERSAUSER, $20; ACTIVITY BOARD and
table, infant/toddler, $10; CLOTHES &
SHOES, reasonably priced, designer,
infant/toddler girls. 626/798-6248.
VACUUM, Hoover SteamVac Ultra, 5 brush
agitator, in super condition, like new, cost
$200, sell for $130. 362-2003, Derek.
WASHER/DRYER combo, Whirlpool Thin
Twin, gas dryer, exc. condition, $400/obo.
626/358-7055.
WASHING MACHINE, Maytag lg capacity, vg
cond., $100; AREA RUG, Pottery Barn, appr,
5 X 8 ft., ivory w/blue trim lg floral pattern,
exc. cond., paid $450, sell for $100.
school student for 1 month this summer, the
student likes guitar/surf/tennis, French family
could host American student in exchange.
Christophe Dumas at 626/564-8483 or Mrs.
Colette Larre (larre@nantes.inra.fr).
HOUSING, returning graduate researcher
couple, non-smokers, seek 1 bd. from end of
May to end of Dec, must allow pets. 720/890-
1310 or 303/492-8274, jahm@colorado.edu
or jahm@mail1.jpl.nasa.gov, Moriba Jah.
TO RENT: small cottage or guest house. 1 or
2 bd., near Caltech, for a long-term Caltech
staffer. 626/286-3705, Mrs. B.
For Rent
ALTADENA, large house on private lot, new
kitchen, carpet & paint, 3 bd., 2 ba., den, lg.
liv. rm with f/p and formal din. rm, gardener
cable, FM stereo, o/d Jacz, sauna, game, rec.
& laundry rms., covn. to shops, lifts, special
events, special midweek rates. 249-8524.
MAMMOTH, Courchevel, walking distance to
Canyon Lodge and lifts, 2 bd., 2 ba., sleeps 6,
fully equipped unit. 661/255-7958.
MAMMOTH, Snowcreek, 2 bd., 2 ba., + loft,
sleeps 6-8, fully equipped kitchen incl. micro-
wave, d/w, cable TV, VCR, phone, balcony
w/view to mtns, jacuzzi, sauna, streams, fish-
ponds, close to Mammoth Creek, JPL
discount. 626/798-9222 or 626/794-0455.
MAMMOTH, St. Moritz #67, studio condo,
great complex & price, wonderful loc. near
town, on ski bus route, www.mammothreser-
vations. com/rooms/rooms.html, or call owner
direct for a JPL disc. 626/791-5376.
OCEANSIDE condo, fully furnished, 2 bd., 2

Ads must be submitted
on ad cards, available at
the ERC and the Universe
office, Bldg. 186-118, o r
via e-mail to universe@
j p l . n a s a . g o v.
Ads are due at 2 p.m.
on the Monday after
publication for the follow-
ing issue.
All housing and vehicle
advertisements require
that the qualifying per-
son(s) placing the ad be
listed as an owner on the
ownership documents.
C lassifieds
For Sale
AIR CONDITIONER, Kenmore, window
mounted, cools liv. rm or bdrm, used 1 sum-
mer, bought new for $600, sell $475/obo;
COUCH, futon style, queen size, good for
starting out, green cover, maple wood color,
$70/ obo; TV TABLE TRAYS, $5 each/obo.
626/792-8272.
BABY ITEMS: carrier, Baby Bjorn, blue pin-
stripe print, only a year old, exc. cond., $50;
high chair, Graco, clean, gd cond. but needs
seat cushion, $15; stroller, Century 4-in-1, vg
cond., pd $175, sell $75; baby exer-saucer,
Graco, exc. cond., $50. 626/351-9223.
BEDROOM SET, 3 pc. king, dark wood, $125;
DINING SET, 9 pc., cane back, pecan $600;
BAR STOOLS, 2, oak, swivel, $125/both;
COMPUTER DESK, oak, 47" x 24" x 67", all
exc. cond, $175. 626/447-5353.
626/351-9223.
WORKBENCH with vice, $40; LAWNMOWER,
$15; COMPUTER DESK, rosewood finish,
$50; SOFA, dark green, sm. print, vg. cond.,
$50. 626/355-5662.
Vehicles/Accessories
’92 ACURA Legend LS, 4-dr. sedan, beige/
gold, auto trans., always garaged, exc. cond,
84K miles, new timing belt &brakes, all ser-
vice records, Acura/Bose music system, theft
deterrent, auto climate control, leather inte-
rior, moonroof, $11,300. 236-4869, after 5
p.m.
’00 BMW 328i, automatic, power leather
seats, CD, am/fm stereo, auto rain sensor,
moon roof, loaded, premium pkg., 12,000
mi., a/c, like new, $32,995. 909/599-3230.
’98 CADILLAC Sedan DeVille, orig. owner,
like new, black with gold package, CD,
chrome wheels, only 33K miles, priced
below Bluebook, $25,000. 248-4647.
‘85 CADILLAC Coupe DeVille, runs, current
and water paid, close to JPL, 1-yr. lease
required, $1,550. 249-8840, Garth Franklin.
ALTADENA, large room, 10 min. from JPL,
private bathroom, kitchen and laundry facili -
ties, $475 furnished, $425 unfurnished + util-
ities. 626/712-3451, Azita.
EAGLE ROCK, furn. room in single family
hse, nice area, 10 min/JPL, private entrance
& bath, share kitchen & laundry privileges,
$350, utilities included. 323/256-1785.
EAST PASADENA, 2-bd. house, 1-car garage,
1 carport, incl. water/trash, no smoking/pets,
carpet, blinds, stove, large kitchen, gardener
takes care of lawn, avail. 3/25, 1 yr. lease,
$1,200 + $1,200 sec. dep. 714/846-6202.
GLENDALE, resident to share exclusive
house & location, furnished, central
courtyard w/ fountain, deck w/gazebo, bathrm
w/garden vw., compl. house privileges and
utilities, no smoking or drinking, 15-20 min.
to JPL. 246-4750.
LA CRESCENTA, cozy 2-bd. house w/pool, pri-
vate, high above Foothill, $1,450. 952-6007.
PASADENA home, 2 bd., 1 ba., 1,100 sq. feet,
ba., fireplace, full kitchen, quiet, relaxing, lo-
cated at beachside, with great ocean view,
sleeps 6, 2-night minimum, available weekly
or monthly. 909/981-7492, Jim or Darlene.
OCEANSIDE, on the sand, charming 1 bd.
condo, panoramic view, walk to pier or
harbor, pool, spa, game rm., sleeps 4.
949/786-6548.
PACIFIC GROVE hse, 3 bd., 2 ba., f/p, cable
TV/VCR, stereo/CD, well-eqpd. kit. w/microwv,
beaut. furn, close to golf, bches, 17 Mile Dr.,
Aquar., Cannery Row, JPL discnt. 626/ 441-
3265.
ROSARITO BEACH condo, 2 bd., 2 ba., ocean
view, pool, tennis, short walk to beach on
priv. rd., 18-hole golf course 6 mi. away, priv.
secure parking. 626/794-3906.
SAN CLEMENTE COVE timeshare, half block
to beach & pier, sleeps 4, one week from
April 1 or May 13, $475. 626/836-3931.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nob Hill honeymoon suite,
sleeps 2 max, full kitchen, maid service,
concierge, reserve early, $125/nite, $750/wk.
626/254-1550.